December 2012 Auction Ends Tuesday, December 18th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/18/2012
Lincoln assassination letter, dated 12 August 1900, from Dr. George Loring Porter to Louis Weichmann, chief prosecution witness at the conspirators' trial. Porter, medical doctor for the imprisoned conspirators, was present at their execution as well as at John Wilkes Booth's burial. He corroborates events and facts for Weichmann's book on the assassination. Weichmann lived in Mary Surratt's boardinghouse at the time of the assassination and was a suspected conspirator himself early on. Mary Surratt was a suspect as was her son, John, who fled to Canada and found sanctuary with a priest, escaping immediate prosecution. Mary Surratt was convicted and executed. Letter reads in part, ''...My thanks are due to you for the opportunity to read the manuscript of your work regarding the assassination. I can readily believe that you had opportunities for seeing many of the actors and observing their actions which no one else could possibly have had and what you saw you have stated clearly, forceably [sic] and interestingly. I await with much anticipation the perusal of the proposed book. You were right in your statement that Mrs. Surratt did not take the whiskey to Lloyds...I place no credence in the theory that any church incouraged [sic] the conspiracy although the actions taken by the Priests in Canada in providing for the secretion, safety, and escape of Surratt has been used as the ground for such a charge. With the exception of Mrs. S., I do not think that any of the active conspirators were subject to any denominational religious influence. As to my statement in the so-called lecture of John Surratt it is entitled to no credibility whatever beyond that which it may gain from the support of satisfactory independent testimony. I have no doubt of his guilt, nor of the fact that the failure of the jury to agree was due to religious and political influences and not to the lack of legal proof. The government wire to Fort Monroe was not cut -- this was the one said to have been used by the government (this was partially laid in the river I have been told). The wires to Balt. were cut. I can not give the authority...'' Porter was on a lecture circuit with his talk about the assassination entitled ''The Tragedy of the Nation.'' He refers to a theory at the time that the assassination was a Catholic plot. Minor creasing to 8.25'' x 11'' three page letter, else very good.
Revealing Lincoln Assassination Letter -- Handwritten and Signed by Dr. Porter, Who Tended to Conspirators in Prison -- ''...I have no doubt of his [John Surratt's] guilt...''
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